Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Huh? Wait, maybe...... I really might be able to see the end of the research assignment I’ve left aging for more than five hundred years today.

In truth, there were good reasons why I had ended up letting this research assignment sit for about five hundred years. First was that I found situations where I had to stand in front of people and receive their gazes and murmurs extremely difficult, and second was that completing research assignments of this sort, such as performance tests or clinical experiments, was in itself an extremely tricky task.

The first was my own problem, so putting that aside, the reason for the second was that, generally speaking, people responded quite uncooperatively to requests from mages asking them to “become test subjects.”

For instance, like this.

“U-Um...... I’m a mage conducting research at the Magic Tower....... I’m doing this sort of research, so could you spare just a little time and cooperate......?”

“What are you, a peddler? I’m not buying anything~”

“Is this that cult proselytizing I’ve only heard about....... I already have a religion~”

“No, I’m busy enough trying to make a living, and you want me to spare time? I’m busy~”

When they all gave such cold responses, what was I supposed to do......?

And if I tried to experiment alone, I didn’t want to wander all over the world looking for suitable targets—by which I mean bandits or major criminals who knew how to use magic or aura—and I also didn’t want other research assignments to pile up because I was searching for those damned “suitable targets”.......

Moreover, whenever I went outside, new research assignments usually tended to get added more often, so all sorts of new research assignments would be added left and right the entire time I was wandering around.......

And because of that, my days of working through the night while reflecting on Master’s grace, vast as the sea—even while sleeping rough—would continue.......

And in the middle of all that, research assignments would keep being added.......

......In any case, for those reasons, I had no choice but to leave this research assignment sitting for more than five hundred years.

But now, not just one or two cooperative test subjects had appeared, but hundreds of them. If this many people used firearms all at once, I should be able to finish the research assignment in an instant. They were even all volunteers with no mana sensitivity whatsoever, so as test subjects, they were utterly perfect.

This was an opportunity. Was there any reason I had to let this opportunity slip away?

More than anything, if these people became my test subjects, I would be able to conduct an experiment that perfectly matched the research topic. After all, the very reason I began firearm development research was “the development of a means by which people with no mana sensitivity can stand against the one-sided violence of mages and aura users.”

And these people had been receiving one-sided attacks from mercenaries who were mages and aura users until just moments ago. At least, that was what I had witnessed.

Of course...... there was a possibility that these people were a group of robbers or criminals and were in the middle of being subjugated. They might also be “rioters who rebelled against the lord,” as the mercenaries had mentioned earlier.

But well, I thought it would be fine to exclude that possibility. No matter how I looked at them, these people did not seem like a criminal group or rioters.

Convinced of that, I slowly looked around. There were certainly many able-bodied people, but a considerable number of those gathered here were children, including infants, as well as women and the elderly.

No matter how I look at them, they’re refugees fleeing a massacre. The corpses strewn around here also seemed to belong entirely to this group, aside from the mercenaries I had shot.

Now that I looked, that unbelievably shoddy stone wall had also been set up to trap these people and massacre them. Honestly, what is this, cleaning out serfs in the ancient past or something......?

“.......”

Suddenly feeling complicated, I unconsciously touched the left side of my neck. After sinking into the bumpy sensation for a moment, I soon forced my thoughts away and removed my hand from my neck.

Right, I should stop with these depressing thoughts and do what I have to do now. I already have research assignments lined up one after another.

Master, please watch over me. Your unworthy disciple will finally complete this research assignment that he has put off for more than five hundred years.

Forcibly raising my sunken mood and lifting it as high as I could, I hurriedly deployed a spatial formula. Just as a thin crack seemed to appear in the air, mana intertwined around it like warp and weft threads weaving cloth, splitting the air apart.

When firearms poured out through that split, the startled people let out exclamations.

“O-Ohh...... Are you truly lending them to us?”

“Thank you, Sir Mage! We won’t forget this grace!”

“Now, if we have these, those rotten bastards......!”

With cheers, the people all grabbed firearms one after another. Then, soon enough, they milled about in confusion, unable to figure out what to do.

Naturally. These people had just encountered a new kind of weapon they had never seen even once in their lives. There was no way they would know how to use it, so of course they could not help but be confused.

Still, they did not seem entirely lacking in quick eyes, because a few of them succeeded in holding the guns and taking a stance, however clumsily.

“Uh, so...... I think Sir Mage was holding it like this earlier.......”

“D-Do I do it like this? Ah! I think you hook your index finger here...... Whoa?!”

BANG. With a thunderous boom, a bullet shot out of the muzzle and flew among the people. There were no casualties. Because I snatched it with magic before the bullet could touch anyone’s body.

“T-Thank you, Sir Mage!”

“Whew, thank goodness Sir Mage took care of it. That could have been terrible......”

“But how are we supposed to use this? It would be good if Sir Mage could teach us.......”

Murmur, murmur. The people looked at me with gazes full of expectation. Feeling as though my breath had caught in my throat, I had no choice but to pull my hood down low.

Ah, please...... I told you not to look at me and whisper like that....... It’s seriously hard for me.......

I knew that the gazes and words they directed at me came from goodwill, not malice. Because I knew that, the problem was that I was even more confused about how I should respond to them. I was fairly used to dealing with people who showed malice, but not with people who showed goodwill.

No, did I really have to show any particular response? Once I completed this research assignment, we would not see each other again anyway, so what need was there to find this so difficult?

After changing my thoughts that way, I took one deep breath and cast telekinesis magic on the people.

“Uh, uhh? M-My body is moving on its own.......”

“I’m setting your posture for you. Remember it well. I won’t teach you twice.”

“U-Uh...... Y-Yes, sir.......”

After they spent a moment floundering as the telekinesis magic guided them into position, a few people soon began handling the guns in a fairly plausible way. I was inwardly impressed, thinking they were picking it up faster than expected, when the people noticed my gaze and spoke to me hesitantly, looking embarrassed.

“Ah, um, well...... we’ve served military duty for quite a long time......”

“When you serve as soldiers, there are quite a few times when you have to get used to new equipment quickly......”

“Hm....... I see.”

As I nodded without much feeling because I did not know how to respond, the people grinned at me. Afraid our eyes might meet, I whipped my head away and bluntly changed the subject.

“A-Anyway! I gave you weapons and taught you how to use them, so go do something now!”

“Yes, Sir Mage. Everyone! Let’s go!”

“We’re dragging down that damned lord bastard no matter what!”

Waaaaaaaah!

With a thunderous roar, the people armed with guns began advancing all at once. I could not say I was not a little anxious about whether ordinary people would do well, but perhaps because there were people who had served as soldiers, they seemed to move more systematically than I had expected.

“Over there! The mercenary bastards are over there!”

“Attack! Attack!”

“Uaaaaaaah!”

Bang, bang, bang. Rat-a-tat-tat-tat. Loud gunfire rang out from here and there. Immediately afterward came the screams and shouts of the panicked mercenaries, and all over the place, people and mercenaries began tangling together in a chaotic fight.

As expected...... once they had a means to resist, it did become a fight. No matter how much they were mages and aura users, if they were shot up with guns first, they had no choice but to be beaten. Since everyone was still unfamiliar with guns, there were times when they each made mistakes or were late to respond, but once they fully mastered how to use firearms, they would probably be able to take down mages around the 3rd or 4th circle, or upper-intermediate aura users, well enough.

Of course, it would still be hard to take down high-ranking mages or swordmasters...... but that was fine. The level of “mage or aura user” I had set as the target when I first conducted firearm development research was not that kind of inhuman class in the first place.

Besides, to beings of that inhuman class, weapons and equipment were nothing more and nothing less than children’s toys, no matter how good their performance was.......

***

[Research Assignment] No. 402083-125

＃001. Research into a Means by Which Ordinary People Without Mana Sensitivity Can Stand Against Mages and Aura Users

→ Complete (Experiment 1,256,365 / Experiment log completed)

→ Name the corresponding means “firearms.”

＃002. Subdivision and Improvement Work Based on Loading Method, Firing Mechanism, and Presence or Absence of Rifling

→ Complete (Experiment 4,661,049 / Experiment log completed)

＃003. Experiment on the Practical Utility of Every Completed Type of Firearm

→ ☆★Finally★☆ Complete!!! (Awaiting experiment log)

***

“Oh, it’s already done.”

Wow, as expected, when there were a lot of people, a research assignment could be completed quickly too. Hooray, how exciting!

Feeling satisfied, I checked the updated text in Master’s Notebook once more, then took out the stone wall fragments I had gathered earlier. Since one research assignment was finished, it was now time to complete the next one.

***

[Research Assignment] No. 703083-454

＃001. Sample Collection for Analysis of the Formula Used in Fortification Construction

→ Complete!!

＃002. Design Error Correction and Improvement Work

→ Do not design a completely new formula; only correct the formula’s condition!!

☆★Warning★☆ Take care, as simply redesigning it because it is bothersome will be treated as failure.

＃003. Performance Experiment for the Corrected and Improved Formula

→ If you corrected it, confirming that it works properly is essential!!

Test it while considering the appropriate time and place!!

***

And so the slave called a disciple rolled on and on.......